This invention relates to interactive media guidance applications, and more particularly, to interactive media guidance applications that can connect to and access data from a multitude of user devices.
A number of media delivery systems are currently used to provide programs and program information to users. (As referenced herein, the terms “program,” “programs,” and “programming” include any and all types of media that a media guidance application may access, such as broadcast programs, recorded programs, movies, video clips, Videos On Demand (VOD), pay-per-view (PPV) movies, music videos, satellite radio broadcasts, HD radio broadcasts, data advertisements and promotional information.)
In addition to traditional television equipment (e.g., television, headend system, cable set-top box, etc.), a number of recent innovations now allow mobile equipment (e.g., cellular telephones, cellular network equipment, etc.) and online equipment (e.g., computers, Internet servers, etc.) to deliver programs and program information to users. In addition, commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/332,244, filed Jun. 11, 1999 teaches, among other things, using online equipment to watch and record television programs and is hereby incorporated herein in its entirety. A number of technical problems, however, follow in the wake of these innovations.
Today, users can personalize online program guidance applications by entering personal information, such as zip code, cable provider, etc. In addition, online program guidance applications have been recently implemented that are linked to television equipment in the user's home (e.g., a TiVo box). When the user is away from home, the user can use the online program guidance application to select a program for recording by the user's in-home television equipment. In response to the user selection, the program is recorded by the user's television equipment—only, however, if the user's television equipment is authorized to grant the user access to the selected program.
Programming is often subdivided into packages of programming, which are provided to users on a subscription basis. For example, a basic broadcast television package may only include local channels and a premium broadcast television package may include the basic package as well as one or more premium package channel tiers (e.g., NFL Sunday Ticket, HBO, Showtime, etc.). NFL Sunday Ticket is a service mark owned by the National Football League, HBO is a trademark owned by Home Box Office, Inc. and Showtime is a trademark owned by Showtime Networks, Inc. If the user, for example, wants to record a program that is only available on a premium channel, but the user does not subscribe to the premium package of programming that includes that channel, then that program will not be recorded. Previously known systems provide no warning when the user uses an online program guide to select a program for recording that the user does not have access to.
Systems, methods and computer readable media are desired that allow a media guidance application, implemented on a first system, to determine what programming the user has access to on one or more other systems. It also would be desirable to have systems, methods and computer readable media, which may be implemented remotely from the user's television equipment (such as online and mobile program guide systems), that can determine and inform the user whether or not the user's television equipment allows the user to access a program or package of programming.